Chapter Four - Tourism

Transcription

1 Chapter Four - Tourism 1. The global growth of tourism 2. Potential for Tourism - cities, mountains and coastal environments 3. The economic importance of tourism 4. Tourism in the UK 5. The tourism life cycle Model 6. UK National Parks tourism case study 7. Mass Tourism 8. A Tropical tourist area - pros, cons and management 9. Extreme tourist environments 10. Impact of tourism on extreme environments 11. Sustainable tourism - stewardship and conservation 12. Sustainable tourism case study The Coolgeography book by Rob Gamesby is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.

2 The global growth of Tourism Tourism is the world's largest income earner and was worth $500 billion in Tourism has become a popular global leisure activity. In 2008, there were over 922 million international tourist arrivals, with a growth of 1.9% as compared to The graph above shows the last 60 years of tourist growth, increasing from just tens of millions in 1950 to 694 million in The other massive trend is the continued dominance of Europe as a destination, but also the massive growth in numbers to East Asia and the Americas. It generates huge amounts of wealth for countries and generates jobs at countries of all stages of development. The reliance on tourism as a source of income varies across the globe and can be measured as a percentage of countries GDP. Most Caribbean countries get at least half of their GDP from tourism and France, Spain, the USA, China, Italy and the UK are the most visited countries. This can be seen below; 2

3 In addition, it can be seen that many MEDCs also dominate the income earned by tourism; Tourism has grown massively as an industry over the past century for a variety of reasons: Advances in travel technology - There are a wider range of ways to travel as a tourist and these methods are widely available. You can be a tourist using a car, a boat and most importantly an airplane. Motorways have linked places together, whilst Budget airlines such as Easyjet and Ryanair have brought prices down and increased traffic volumes. Holiday entitlement in many rich nations has increased over the past century. This means that people can take more holidays during the year and swells the number of tourists. People have more disposable income now - this is income that people have to spend on themselves. This is partly because of salary rises and partly because the price for essential goods such as food and clothing has fallen. Many families now have 2 income earners rather than one; they have fewer kids and often have a car. All of these factors increase the likelihood of people becoming tourists. The availability and type of holiday has increased - mass tourism and package holidays have opened up markets to huge numbers of people. Extreme and ecological tourism are also becoming popular, further swelling the choice. The Media - Extensive coverage of holiday types has increased the demand to travel. Most newspapers have a "holiday" section, whilst TV shows can show people the enormous choice on offer - shows such as Ray Mears and 71 degrees north can promote extreme tourism for example, whilst "Benidorm" promotes (???!) mass tourism. Gap years have also been pushed by the media and are popular. Tourism growth can be limited on a local scale. If there is civil unrest or a war tourist numbers can fall. If there is a fear of terrorism, similar declines in tourist numbers can happen. Bali was bombed and suffered a severe decline in tourist numbers, and global tourist numbers fell after the September the 11th terrorist attacks. The banking crisis of 2008 also hit tourist numbers as people had less money available to them to travel. 3

4 ACTIVITIES Complete the mind map below: Reasons for the growth in GLOBAL tourism Using the graph on Page 2 complete the table below 1990 Total Europe & Americas Asia, Africa & Middle East (Total Europe & Americas) EXPLAIN the patterns shown by your table SCORE

5 Potential for tourism There is huge potential for tourism worldwide and within the UK, and tourism covers a range of types and locations. People are all different, and seek different things from their vacation or leisure time. Tourism also varies by timescale; some people go for a day (day trippers), weekends and city breaks, whilst most people go for a week or 2. Some people are lucky enough to go on huge round the world adventures or take long breaks of 3 months or longer in a destination of their choice - a gap year working holiday is an example of this (you can get a working visa for Australia for 1 year as a UK citizen for example). In addition, people can go abroad on a package deal as a mass tourist (e.g. Jamaica), or to extreme environments (e.g. Antarctica) as an extreme tourist, or as a more sustainable tourist to ecological tourist areas (e.g. the Galapagos Islands). The most popular types of tourism include beach tourism, mountain tourism and city breaks. All three of these offer the tourist different activities and entertainments. Beach resort tourism will often occur in regions of high sunlight and low precipitation levels, be based around a picturesque beach and associated entertainments. Beach resorts often have water parks, a raft of bars and restaurants and marine based activities (e.g. banana boat!). Mountain tourism offers skiing in the winter and a range of summer activities such as hiking, camping, white water rafting and paragliding. Cities offer a different experience again. Here you have the usual hotels, bars, restaurants etc. associated with tourism but you also get museums, monuments, theatres, concert venues, galleries and other cultural or historical features. It is no surprise then that the most visited country in the world is France. This is because it has the summer climate to support beach tourism along its Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines, whilst it has year round tourism in the Alps, Pyrenees and Massive Central mountain ranges. It also has major cities such as Paris to visit (one of the most visited cities in the world). A huge range then, in a very accessible country with lots of International airports and which is surrounded by heavily populated countries such as Germany, Holland, Italy and the UK. France also has other Global attractions such as Euro Disney, further boosting tourist numbers. Why might people want to visit the UK? 5

6 The economic importance of tourism The economic importance of tourism varies from place to place but can be seen to make a significant contribution to many countries wealth. MEDCs benefit massively from tourism in terms of total wealth generated, even if the % of GDP that tourism generates is small. LEDCs are variable in their involvement in tourism but most see tourism as an extremely important way of getting money into their countries. Some LEDCs are reliant on tourism, and it can create more than 50% of GDP, more than exporting primary goods such as food stuffs or manufactured goods such as clothing. This can be problematic, as war, terrorism, or natural disasters could put people off visiting which would strip away a huge chunk of a countries income. These concepts link with the concepts of economy, sustainability and over reliance; Economy - The system or range of economic (money making) activity in a country, region, or community Sustainability To maintain something for a long period of time without damaging the environment or economy Over reliance - the state or fact of being too reliant (dependent) on someone or something Some major patterns are evident; Wealthy nations such as the USA, Spain and France all have huge tourist numbers and consequently high amounts of money made from tourism as an activity. However, as a percentage of GDP the contribution of tourism is small (but not insignificant. These countries receive lots of people as tourists because they have the infrastructure (hotels, airports, visitor facilities) to allow tourists to have a great visitor experience. They are also politically safe places. Poorer nations receive far fewer tourists and earn less money from tourism as an activity. However, tourism can often make up a huge percentage of countries GDP. This is because those countries have fewer other industries to make money, and this makes them vulnerable to changes in their tourism industry. This is especially evident in Island nations as shown on the graph above, where limited land space makes the development of other industries difficult. However, tourism generates jobs and a huge amount of foreign exchange, so governments like it! 6

7 ACTIVITIES Add at least 3 EXPLAINED annotations to the photographs below to say what HUMAN and PHYSICAL features might attract tourists and why. CROATIA Morzine, France Is tourism more important economically to MEDCs or LEDCs? FULLY EXPLAIN your answer SCORE

8 Tourism in the UK The UK offers fantastic range of tourist attractions and as a result earns a good amount of GDP from tourism. The UK is also a highly accessible place; it has a huge number of International Airports such as Heathrow and Newcastle International, an extensive road network, the Channel Tunnel and a (creaking) rail network. This means that lots of international tourists can join the healthy number of domestic UK tourists. The types of tourism that occur are; Beach tourism - on the rare occasions that the UK is hot our beach resorts kick into action - from Blackpool in the North West to Newquay in the South. Mountain and hill tourism - the north of England, North Wales and Scotland offer fantastic mountain scenery from our glacial past - the Lake District National Park benefits from this. City Breaks - huge cities such as Newcastle and London offer a huge variety of activities, and most museums are free. London alone boasts the Imperial war museum, the National Portrait Gallery, the London Eye (the UK's most visited attraction with 3.7 million revolving visitors each year). Activity tourism - the UK offers a range of adventurous activities such as GoApe, white water rafting, rock climbing and pot holing. Cultural Tourism - the UK offers lots of architectural delights, museums, history and world renowned sites (e.g. Stone Henge). Ecological tourism - The UK has a range of protected environments, including SSSIs (sites of Special Scientific Interest) and National Parks. These have an emphasis on sustainability and conservation but are under pressure from visitor numbers. 8 All of these have contributed to the UK being a highly visited country. In the past, nearly all UK tourism was domestic - the wealthy of the UK holidaying in the UK. During the 1950s to early 1970s the booming UK economy allowed companies to give their employees more time off and the employees had more disposable income to spend. However, a lot of our coastal resorts are now in decline, as wealthy people prefer to holiday abroad. The UK is the sixth most visited country in the World and received $30billion of international tourist wealth in Including domestic tourism, tourism was worth billion to the UK economy once the direct and indirect impacts were taken into account. Indeed, million people in the UK earned their money from tourism in 2009.

9 ACTIVITIES Produce a mini advert in the box below to fully advertise a WIDE RANGE of tourist activities in the UK for the Guardian Newspaper Using the graph at the top of page 8 DESCRIBE the patterns in the UK s tourism SCORE

10 The Butler Model Butler proposed that most tourist resorts go through a six stage model and he called this the tourism life cycle model. It states that most tourist resorts start on a very small scale and get bigger and bigger until stagnation occurs. Within the 6 stages the following happens; 1) EXPLORATION - a few hardy and adventurous people looking for something different in a holiday find a place that is special in terms of its culture, natural beauty, history or landscape. There may be no tourist services available and local people will not be involved in tourist money making activities. 2) INVOLVEMENT - local people start to notice that there are increasing numbers of people coming to their local area. They start businesses to provide accommodation, food, guides, and transport. 3) DEVELOPMENT - Big companies start to see the emerging potential of the area as a tourist resort and therefore start to invest money in the region. They build large hotel complexes and sell package holidays (a package might include travel, accommodation, food and excursions). This makes the numbers of tourists swell dramatically and massively expands the number of job opportunities for people in the local region, in both tourist related jobs and in construction and services. 4) CONSOLIDATION - The local economy is probably dominated by tourism at this stage, and many local people will make their money from this type of industry. However, this can remove people from other industries such as farming and fishing and these industries can suffer as a result. There will be continued building and expansion of the resort BUT some of the older buildings will start to become unattractive and a lower quality client base might result. 5) STAGNATION - competition from other resorts, rowdiness and a loss of the original features (e.g. if it had a great beach but that is now crowded and full of rubbish) can cause the resort to stop growing. The number of people going levels off then starts to decline, threatening local businesses and services. 6) DECLINE OR REJUVENATION? From the stagnation point onwards there are 2 basic possibilities: Decline in various forms or rejuvenation (regrowth of the resort) Decline can be slow or rapid, and regular visitors are replaced by people seeking a cheap break or day trippers. Rejuvenation involves a cash injection from either a private company or the government, to create a new attraction within the original resort to boost its popularity - such as the Pleasure Beach at Blackpool. 10

11 The diagram below shows how this model fits the beach resort of Blackpool on England s North West coastline; Tourism is a big industry in the United Kingdom. It happens in many locations but the specification asks you to look at EITHER a coastal location OR a National Park. I have provided both for you so you can pick and choose! Blackpool is an iconic tourist resort whose coastal location is the main reason for its initial development as a tourist resort. Blackpool is the 4 th largest settlement in the North West of England after Manchester, Liverpool and Warrington. In the 2011 censes its population was registered at 142,064, a decrease of around 200 people on year People currently go to Blackpool for a range of reasons; The Pleasure Beach is a theme park which is the UK s most visited tourist attraction The sandy beach and its piers Blackpool Illuminations - a spectacular light show running since 1879 Blackpool is dominated by the tourist during the Autumn months to prolong the tourist season industry. Indeed, Blackpool s economic Party political conferences can take place there Concerts and shows happen there sectors are; The vast majority of activity within the service sector is tourism related, 31.4% of economically active people in 2006 worked in the distribution, hotels and restaurant sector (source). The town caters for more visitors than any other UK resort. There are nearly 91,000 bed spaces with the majority in small guesthouses. Many of the visitors to Blackpool have limited disposable income 11 Economic sector % Service sector 87 Manufacturing 10 Construction & Other 3 and the jobs generated are typified by low pay and short term contracts. It is not unusual for people to hold 2 or 3 part time low paid jobs as a means of achieving a sustainable income. The graph below shows Blackpool s development as a resort over time and how this has changed. Blackpool fits the Butler Tourist Life cycle model well. Tourism decline Like many other British Holiday resorts (think Whitley Bay) Blackpool suffered a decline in tourist numbers. This was because; 1. Foreign travel to the Mediterranean grew in popularity in the 1960s and 70s with its more reliable hot sunny and dry weather, and sandy beaches. 2. The expansion of package holidays and cheaper flights, plus more competing destinations 3. The growth of budget airlines and cheaper accommodation from the 1990s onwards 4. People are changing to self-catering and buying time shares or holiday homes abroad. 5. Overcrowding in Blackpool and a shift in the market to late night drinking, stag and hen parties

12 Regeneration Projects To combat this decline Blackpool launched a 300 million regeneration project in 2000 and launched a failed bid for a super casino. More recent projects to improve the town for visitors include; Brilliance This is a fantastic town centre lighting scheme which aims to encourage visitors to explore the town centre further at night and in the day St John s Square This area is an important public space in the centre of Blackpool. This area has been pedestrianised and new planting, paving and lighting has been added. This is to attract and enhance the character, appearance and atmosphere of the area. A Wave sculpture has been added and WiFi connectivity included too. Houndshill Shopping Centre This Shopping Centre has been redeveloped to improve shopping in the town centre. The Beach - Coastal Protection The sea defences had been damaged ion Blackpool. They have been replaced with 'Spanish steps' leading down to the sea that will protect the coastline and increase public access to the seafront. ACTIVITIES For each statement below circle the STAGE of the Butler model that it MOST LIKELY fits, and write a FULL reason for your choice. 1. Ted sighs as he inspects the heavily eroded footpath in the Lake District. Exploration Involvement Development Consolidation Stagnation Decline Rejuvenation Reason 2. Judy lies back and enjoys the tranquillity of the deserted beach Exploration Involvement Development Consolidation Stagnation Decline Rejuvenation Reason 3. Mohammed smiles as he gets a cheap deal for a holiday in the South of Spain. Exploration Involvement Development Consolidation Stagnation Decline Rejuvenation Reason 4. The town mayor opens the new amusement park hoping it will give the towns tourist industry the boost it desperately needs. Exploration Involvement Development Consolidation Stagnation Decline Rejuvenation Reason 5. Rob locks up his Bed and Breakfast for the last time; times had just got too tough. Exploration Involvement Development Consolidation Stagnation Decline Rejuvenation Reason 6. Jenny won t be bringing her family to this resort next year; the lager louts have spoiled the place. Exploration Involvement Development Consolidation Stagnation Decline Rejuvenation Reason 7. John Reynolds spots an opportunity for a café in the up and coming Welsh seaside town of Tenby Exploration Involvement Development Consolidation Stagnation Decline Rejuvenation Reason 8. Thomas Cook decide to open a huge hotel in Benidorm Exploration Involvement Development Consolidation Stagnation Decline Rejuvenation Reason 9. Engineer Richard is a relieved man as the airport extension to the town is completed Exploration Involvement Development Consolidation Stagnation Decline Rejuvenation Reason SCORE

13 National Parks in the UK There are 15 National Parks in the British Isles and they came into existence in 1951 following an Act of Parliament (The 1949 National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act). The first park created under this act was the Peak District National Park, which is surrounded by large towns and cities such as Liverpool and Manchester. National Parks have been created to protect Britain s most spectacular scenery by limiting the amount and type of development that can take place. In addition, National Parks are there to offer the British people access to the countryside for recreational purposes. There are 15 members in the UK National Park family: 10 in England - The Broads, Dartmoor, Exmoor, the Lake District, the New Forest, Northumberland, the North York Moors, the Peak District, the South Downs and the Yorkshire Dales. 2 in Scotland - Cairngorms and Loch Lomond and the Trossachs. 3 in Wales the Brecon Beacons, Pembrokeshire Coast and Snowdonia. A large amount of land within the National Parks is owned by private landowners. Farmers and organisations like the National Trust are some of the landowners, along with the thousands of people who live in the villages and towns. National Park Authorities sometimes own bits of land, but they work with all landowners in all National Parks to protect the landscape. 13

14 National Parks are incredibly popular places, and because of this conflict often arises. Landowners, farmers, local residents, the Ministry of Defence and Tourists all want slightly different things from the parks and for this reason CONFLICT can result. The most popular areas of the Parks are called HONEYPOT SITES, because they attract tourists like honey attracts bears! It is these areas where conflict can often be at its fiercest, and decisions taken by the National Park Authority need to reflect the views of all stakeholders. Lake Windemere is a good example of conflict. The 17km length of Windermere makes it England s longest lake and it has its own rangers and patrol boats in the busy summer months. There is a 10mph speed limit which came into force in 2005 to enable smaller vessels such as sailing boats and kayaks to enjoy the lake safely, unhampered by the jet skis, water skiers and fast motor boats. However this decision was a controversial one; and many local businesses had to diversify in order to continue trading. Tourists in general bring jobs and money into the area but increase traffic congestion and have a significant environmental impact. DEFINE the term National Park. ACTIVITIES List a range of activities that DIFFERENT groups of people could do in National Parks; SCORE Young Children Adventurous Young people Families The Elderly School groups Using the table and your own knowledge explain why we get conflict in National Parks Northumberland NP Private 56.4% Forestry Commission Ministry of Defence Water Companies National Trust National Park Authority 18.9% 22.6% 1.2% 0.7% 0.2% Who owns the land in Northumberland NP 14

15 The Lake District National Park The Lake District National Park is England s largest park and includes Scafell Pike - its highest mountain, Wastwater - its deepest lake and thriving communities like Keswick and Bowness-on-Windermere. There are 42,400 permanent residents and a huge amount of activities for visitors on offer, including walking, climbing, cycling, boat cruises and various museums. Current surveys show that at least 15.8 million visitors come to the Lake District each year spending 925 million!. Most come to enjoy the scenery, peace and quiet and walking but many others visit specific attractions or take part in an outdoor activity. They stay in a mixture of self-catering and serviced accommodation. The National Park Authority's current challenge is finding ways of encouraging sustainable tourism without further damaging the very landscape which visitors come to enjoy. Indeed public access to the uplands or fells is unrestricted, and this can pose problems Lake Windemere attracts over 1 million visitors on its own each year! This makes sustainability difficult to achieve with such large visitor numbers. 15 Problems in the Lake District and attempts at management Limited supply of property The limits placed upon development in the Lake District means that new houses are seldom built. There has also been a rise in the number of people from outside of the Lake District buying up property for a second home they can use to holiday in. These 2 factors have pushed up house prices in the Lake District and made it very difficult for local people (especially those on low wages) to own their own property in the Lake District. The ownership of second homes (15% of homes in the Lake district are second homes of holiday lets) has knock on or secondary problems because holiday homes are unoccupied for most of the year this can increase crime and means people are not in the towns and villages using local services. This has a bad effect on the community and means that local services such as schools and shops can be under pressure for closure. Housing is private, so there is very little local councils can do apart from build more properties to rent to locals. Traffic problems 89% of visitors come to the Lake District by car, often just for the day. In a region where roads are often narrow and winding, and towns were constructed before the invention of the motor car this can pose massive problems. Congestion, traffic jams and parking are major issues, and people can park on grass verges in desperation, narrowing the road and making congestion even worse. These problems can be overcome in 2 ways improving the road network and improving public transport. Environmental problems There is a wide array of environmental problems associated with tourism in the Lake District. Aside from common problems with litter, there exists footpath erosion, lakeside erosion and air pollution. The increased number of cars

16 damages the air from car exhausts, and also people park on grass verges, damaging the ground parked upon. Footpath erosion occurs because of the sheer numbers of people using popular routes. According to the Park Authority, 4 million people walk an average of 6km each year. The pressure of these people s feet damages plants and soil, making soil erosion possible. These issues are worst in Honey pot or popular areas, which also suffer from the stresses of overcrowding, parking problems and second homes. Tourism is managed in many ways within the Lake District National Park; Environmental damage and honeypots The Northwest Regional Development Agency stated that an active zoning approach would help; this would focus tourists in honeypot areas such as Windemere and Keswick whilst protecting other areas from high tourist numbers. It also suggested a Market Towns Initiative, to include a number of the key towns within and around the Lake District National Park - Ambleside, Windermere, Keswick, Ulverston, Cockermouth, Millom and Egremont. Proposed schemes include improving the public realm (space) in both Windermere and Ambleside, and developing speciality tourism in Keswick. Footpaths The Upland Path Landscape Restoration Project (UPLRP) was a 10 year project (2002 to 2011) which set out to repair the majority of landscape scars caused by the erosion of fells paths in the Lake District. They used Stone Pitching which involves digging stone into the ground to form good solid footfalls. This ancient technique is used extensively in the central fells using stone which is naturally occurring. In February ,841 had been spent on this project. Transport Transport initiatives have focussed on public transport, sustainability and getting people out of their cars. The Lake District's roads were not designed for car use which is one reason why that long, long queue is still with us. Statistics tell us the other. Ninety two percent of visitors drive to the Lake District. That's 92 percent of an estimated 16 million people a year. The B4 network for example includes a Cross Lakes Shuttle which links the lakes of Windermere and Coniston Water and services the honey pot sites of Hawkshead, Grizedale and Tarn Hows. The Shuttle has an integrated timetable and through-ticketing and there are cycle racks on the boats and minibuses that provide the service. In 2012 Government funding of 7 million was secured for a three-year scheme called 'Drive Less, See More'. It has an ambitious goal: a unified 'boats, bikes, boots and buses' network throughout the national park. Popular walking routes are being connected to public transport services. Cycleways and footpaths are also being brought together. This initiative wants to cut 11,000 tonnes of carbon emissions and ease congestion in visitor honeypots of Bowness, Windermere, Ambleside, Coniston and Grasmere. A bike-friendly bus has also been launched. 16

17 ACTIVITIES The Lake District should be preserved for the local people and tourism limited. Consider the above then complete the matrix above by considering who is in conflict with whom you need to write a REASON WHY as well Conservationists Farmers Farmers Tourists Tourists Hotel Owners Hotel Owners Power Boat enthusiasts Power boat enthusiasts Armed Forces Local people e.g. Tourists might be in conflict with the AF because they carry out operations which limits tourist access to parts of the National Park Armed forces In your view how well is the Lake District National Park managed? SCORE

18 Mass tourism Mass tourism is a form of tourism that involves tens of thousands of people going to the same resort often at the same time of year. It is the most popular form of tourism as it is often the cheapest way to holiday, and is often sold as a PACKAGE DEAL. A package deal is one in which all of the tourists needs are catered for by one company (such as Thomas Cook), these needs include travel/flights, activities, accommodation and sometimes food (called full board when all meals are included, half board includes 2 meals a day whilst self-catering means you cook for yourself). These types of holiday are often the opposite of sustainable tourism, extreme tourism and ecological tourism. There are many types of mass tourism, including skiing in the mountains, sunbathing on a beach, visiting a theme park (e.g. Euro Disney near Paris) or taking a cruise. Governments and local people often support mass tourism because it generates a lot of income for local areas. ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES 1) Jobs are generated by tourism in many areas - in the 1) TNCs (Trans National Corporations) from rich initial construction of the resorts, in travel, in food countries are often involved - this can result in a lot of provision and in other service related industries. profits leaving the country. 2) Local people benefit directly from employment 2) Jobs can be seasonal - especially in beach and skiing based resorts. People can therefore find themselves out of work in the close season. 3) Roads, rail, facilities, electricity services etc. all need 3) Tourists consume huge amounts of resources improving to accommodate the tourists - local people also including food and water - this type of tourism is benefit from these INFRASTRUCTURE developments. particularly UNSUSTAINABLE in this manner. 4) Transport facilities are developed 4) Tourists introduce new values and cultures - this 5) The local tax base increases so the local government/council can invest in schools, healthcare and social services. 6) Tourists introduce new values and cultures and learn about new cultures- this causes cultural UNDERSTANDING The case study of mass tourism you have is from Jamaica causes cultural pollution. 5) Land is lost from farming to tourist developments. 18

19 ACTIVITIES Study the photograph below of lloret beach on the Costa Brava, Spain Complete the table below using information from the photograph and your own knowledge; Photographic evidence Environmental Impacts Economic Impacts Social Impacts Own knowledge Does mass tourism do more harm than good? SCORE

20 A Tropical tourist area - pros, cons and management Jamaica is an island in the Caribbean Sea within the Tropics. It is located close to other major islands such as Cuba. It has mass tourism because many people visit every year (1.9 million stopover tourists in 2011). People visit for the beaches such as Montego Bay, deep sea fishing at Port Antonio, caves at Cockpit County, golf courses such as next to Kingston Town and water sports in Montego Bay. More cultural activities include various historic plantation houses such as at Port Maria and there are environmental tourist attractions such as bird sanctuaries inland from Montego Bay and Botanic Gardens and a National Park in the Blue Mountains. Jamaica does have problems however, because its tourism numbers are declining slightly due to competition from new resorts across other Caribbean Islands. Mass Tourism also brings problems and positives to the Island. POSITIVES Tourism brings in money to Jamaica 20% of its GDP this money can be spent on essential services such as health care and education which can boost the overall level of development. This does have a downside however, as Jamaica is dependent upon this income and if tourist numbers fall the economy would be affected. 220,000 Jamaicans work in tourism it is a vital employer. People work in a wide range of jobs, from the construction of hotels and tourist facilities, to service work cleaning, working in bars, caddying on golf courses amongst other jobs. 20

21 Tourism benefits many sections of the economy as people spend money in bars, restaurants, and other local businesses, so tourism has a positive multiplier effect. NEGATIVES Many of the jobs created are seasonal, so people can become unemployed Large TNCs (Trans National Companies) such as Thomas Cook organise the holidays and make most of the money, so the profits go out of Jamaica and into MEDCs Local employees are paid low wages, whereas managers from other countries tend to earn more. There is cultural pollution/dilution; Jamaica has a problem with sex tourism and a problem with drugs. Land for the massive hotels takes away land from famers. Water use also increases for drinking water, washing and recreation, taking water from local people. Local people cannot afford the facilities put in place for the tourists. As a response to some of the problems and in an attempt to become more sustainable, Jamaica is branching tourism out into community tourism were tourists stay with locals in their homes, directly benefitting locals, and ecotourism, in the inland area of the Blue Mountains with low densities and tourist lodges. There are also ecotourist lodges along the coastline. The features of these lodges include an approach to low or zero waste, solar panels to produce power, very low visitor numbers (many resorts have less than 16 lodges or huts) and recycling of water. Great Huts Resort near Boston Beach has some of these features and also offers educational tours of its local area. 21

22 ACTIVITIES Describe patterns on the graph above, use data in your answer Give a full range of reasons why Jamaica is such a popular tourist destination SCORE

23 Extreme tourist environments An extreme environment is one in which there exist difficult environmental conditions for human survival. They include deserts, ice sheets, mountains and rainforests. All activities involved in these environments include an element of risk, and often include a lot of physical exertion. Tourist activities count as extreme tourism includes rock climbing, white water rafting, bungee jumping, ice walking and paragliding. Younger, adventurous people are often the target market, so called DINKS (Dual Income No Kids!) because they have the fitness and cash for such activities. Extreme tourism has expanded in popularity in recent years, as people search adventure. Many people do not want packaged holidays in huge mass tourist resorts and are looking for something different in a holiday. This is where Extreme tourism comes in. As air travel expands and people have more disposable income, these types of holiday are becoming more available. In addition, companies are realising that people will pay a lot of money for a specialised extreme holiday, and are expanding as a result. This means that even more people can become extreme tourists. Antarctica is one place where you can be an extreme tourist, and is your case study for this unit. There are other environments though, such as the Franz Joseph glacier in New Zealand, Death Valley in the SW USA, boats trips to the Arctic and tours of the Amazon rainforest (shown below) to name but a few! 23

24 Impact of tourism on extreme environments - ANTARCTICA Antarctica is the World s southern-most continent. It is a land made up of mainly ice (99% of the continent is covered in ice sheet) and is uninhabited aside from a few thousand scientific researchers. It is a land mass with mountains and volcanoes beneath and protruding above the ice, but it also has lots of sea ice which changes in size and distribution throughout the year. The lowest ever temperatures recorded on Earth have been recorded here, at Vostok, Antarctica, where it dropped to nearly C. These temperatures make it a truly EXTREME environment, very dangerous for humans to visit and live. In addition, for many months during the year there is 24 hours of darkness or 24 hours of light as the Earth orbits the sun. You can also witness the Aurora Australis or southern lights here, and a huge range of wildlife from emperor penguins, seals to Whales. The environment is also incredibly sensitive. It can take many hundreds of years for rubbish to decompose because of the extremely low temperatures, and the food chain is also delicate because most of the marine life depend upon Krill as their primary source of food. Antarctica is becoming an increasingly popular destination for tourists. Indeed, tourist numbers have gone from 9,000 in to 46,000 in with over 100 companies being involved Visitors are mainly from rich nations (39% American, 15% British) and tend to fly to New Zealand or Chile or Argentina and set sail from there. 24

25 Few visitors go on the ice as it is too hazardous, however, there are some very accessible sites and boats tend to stop there preferentially. These are Honey pot sites and the animals get disturbed from their usual feeding and breeding routines. In addition, many ships have run aground and had accidents and oil spills are an increasing hazard. Waste from tourist boats is also a problem, and by law ships are required to discharge waste well away from the edges of Antarctica. The Antarctic is protected in many ways, but people are concerned that tourism and its increasing numbers could become unsustainable. Management of tourism in Antarctica 1. The IAATO (International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators) is an organisation which rules the companies and tries to be environmentally friendly. They regulate the boat companies and try to ensure a sustainable future for the ice continent. 2. Indeed, Boats are limited to 500 passengers which should reduce the impact of tourism. 3. In addition, Tourism has to follow the rules of the Antarctic treaty, signed in 1961, where many countries promised to demilitarize Antarctica, to establish it as a zone free of nuclear tests and the disposal of radioactive waste, and to ensure that it is used for peaceful purposes only; to promote international scientific cooperation in Antarctica; to set aside disputes over territorial sovereignty. 4. Visitors cannot visit SSSIs or Sites of Special Scientific Interest which often contain vulnerable wildlife, again reducing the impact of tourism. There are hundreds of these areas around the Antarctic continent, but they are small in scale and protect the most vulnerable areas e.g. penguin breeding grounds. 5. Permits must also be obtained to go, and these permits include sections on waste management, risk management and how the applicant will minimise their Environmental Impact whilst in Antarctica. 6. The Antarctic Act of 1994 is a UK act which supports the Antarctic Treaty of 1961 and makes environmental damage in Antarctica by any British citizen punishable by law. 7. The US has its own permit system, formed in the Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978, protects native mammals, birds, and plants and their ecosystems. The law applies to all U.S. citizens and makes it unlawful to; take native mammals or birds engage in harmful interference enter specially designated areas introduce species to Antarctica introduce substances designated as pollutants discharge designated pollutants import certain Antarctic items into the USA Violation of this can result in a 1 year jail sentence or $11,000 fine! 25

26 ACTIVITIES Complete the Case Study Crib Sheet below; you could use these to revise all of your case studies for the exam. Case study name Introduction & Location Write a short sentence about what the case study is about and WHERE it is Key facts to remember (include at least 4 dates, names of places, figures etc.) Sketch map Key Geography Terminology associated with case study What the case study is about in 5 sentences A Question I could be asked: Common Command words to help Describe, Compare, Contrast, Explain, Suggest why SCORE

27 Sustainable tourism - stewardship and conservation The concept of Sustainable Development was introduced by the Bruntland Commission in the 1970s and stated that "sustainable development is development that meets the needs of present generations without compromising the needs of future generations to meet their own needs." Mass tourism as found in Jamaica and Blackpool often fails to meet these requirements because; Tourists consume huge amounts of food and water from the local environment, severely depleting resources. Tourist resorts consume huge amounts of energy, often from fossil fuels. Tourists often travel by jet plane in huge numbers; increasing atmospheric pollution from the planes Tourist resorts damage the natural environment through building and drainage schemes. It is clear that there is need for more sustainable ways for people to enjoy their leisure time and sustainable or Ecotourism is seen as the answer. The best way to be a sustainable tourist is to holiday in your home country, as this stops atmospheric pollution from planes. This is known as STAY-CATIONING - but that leaves British people at the mercy of Britain's hugely variable weather. Ecotourism is environmentally friendly tourism where the people involved seek to protect the environment as much as possible and to allow for some level of education as well. In many cases of ecotourism; some of the profits go back into protecting the environment and the tourism is small scale, with low visitor number densities and environmental approaches to accommodation and food. For example, I have stayed in an ecotourism lodge in Puerto Maldonado in Peru, where tours of the Amazon forest take place for tourists staying in small wooden huts there is limited electricity and waste is dealt with on site, and the food at the resort is sourced locally. The impact of ecotourism on the environment is low, but because the numbers of tourists allowed is low the price must be high to compensate. Ecotourism stems from 2 concepts - stewardship and conservation. Stewardship is careful management of the environment on a large scale across regions, nations and even internationally. All developments are planned sustainably. Conservation is more LOCAL in its nature allowing local people to be involved. Unfortunately not all people or governments are concerned about either! Your case study of ecotourism is the Galapagos Islands 1,000km off the West Coast of Ecuador. An Ecotourism Lodge in Puerto Maldonado, the Peruvian Amazon 27

28 The Galapagos Islands A case study of Ecotourism The Galapagos Islands are a small chain of islands found 1,000km from the West coast of South America. They are Ecuadorian, and are home to an incredible array of animals and plants. The Galapagos Islands are most famous because many of the plants and animals found there are not found anywhere else in the world. This is because the islands are isolated or cut off from the rest of the World s land mass by the Pacific Ocean, allowing the plants and animals to EVOLVE in their own way for hundreds of thousands of years. This was noted by Charles Darwin, and spurred him on to form his famous theory of evolution. Approximately 90% of the Islands are designated as National parks and there are only 20,000 permanent human residents (although this has risen from 9,000 only 20 years ago), allowing for a high degree of protection of the environment. The area became the first UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979 and they are also a biosphere reserve. The Galapagos Islands represent a place in the world were ECOTOURISM takes place. This is environmentally friendly tourism where the people involved seek to protect the environment as much as possible and to allow for some level of education as well. In many cases of ecotourism, some of the profits go back into protecting the environment and the tourism is small scale, with low visitor number densities and environmental approaches to accommodation and food. For example, I have stayed in an ecotourism lodge in Puerto Maldonado in Peru, where tours of the Amazon forest take place for tourists staying in small wooden huts there is limited electricity and waste is dealt with on site, and the food at the resort is sourced locally. The Galapagos are run along these lines because; Tourists visit under strict rules They can only visit on small ships of 10 to 16 tourists, most of which are owned by local people The tourists can only visit a limited number of places on the Islands, thus protecting the rest of the Islands The tourists are only allowed to visit in small numbers. 28

29 Visitors also receive information on how to conserve the Islands prior to their departure to the Islands. They also have to pay a 25 fee to promote conservation on the Islands Despite all of this, there are still some problems from the overuse of some sites (honey pot sites), oil spills from boats, and pollution to the Islands water supply and the water supply is put under pressure from the tourists use. However, local people make a valuable living from tourism and there are few other employment opportunities available. Tourists also generate a lot of businesses in the local economy as guides, restraints, hotels, boats owners and cleaners all benefit ACTIVITIES Complete the table below to review the use of Tourism in the Galapagos Islands. Causes of the tourism Impacts of the tourism Management of the tourism Social Economic Environmental SCORE

30 Glossary Antarctica an extremely cold continent at the south pole almost entirely below the Antarctic Circle which is attracting extreme tourists Beach tourism Tourism to parts of the world on the coastline Butler Model A model for showing how a touist resort can change over time Car ownership The number of people with a car, this has gone up and increased tourism rates. City breaks a 2 or 3-day trip to a city. Conflict Where different groups of people using or living in National Parks have different views Conservation the preservation and careful management of the environment and of natural resources on a LOCAL scale Cultural tourism Where people go on holiday to visit cultural attractions such as galleries and museums Disposable Income The money people have to spend on their leisure time and themselves after essentials such as shelter and food have been accounted for Domestic tourism People going on holiday in their own country. DINK a couple who both have careers and no children (an acronym for dual income no kids) Ecotourism Environmentally friendly tourism Ecotourists leisure travelers who prefer to visit less popular, more primitive destinations often for education purposes Edinburgh is Developing Castle Sites Daily Mnemomic for remembering the stages of the Butler model Extreme environments Locations with particularly difficult environments where the development of tourism is limited Extreme tourism new type of tourism that has people paying to put their lives at risk Footpath erosion Where too many visitors feet trample the ground underneath Foreign exchange Money brought into a country from foreign tourist visitors 30

31 Gross Domestic Product A measure of a country's overall economic output (all final goods and services made by a country in one year). Honeypot site An extremely popular tourist area IAATO The Tourist organisation that governs tourism in Antarctica (International Association of Antarctic Tourist Operators Infrastructure Road and rails networks - these have improved to increase tourism Mass tourism Tourism on a large scale to one country or region. Mountain tourism Where people visit high altitude areas for skiing in winter and adventure sports in summer National Park A large area of mainly rural land protected for recreation reasons Niche Market a new market in tourism that bases travel on specific interests, such as extreme tourism Online booking A system where tourist holidays can booked on the internet bringing down the cost of travel Package holiday A holiday where accommodation, transport and food are all included 'Push' factor Unfavourable conditions in a place that one lives in, such as poor medical care or natural disasters. 'Pull' factor Favourable conditions, such as job opportunities or better living conditions, that attract people to move to certain areas. Second homes Where people own a property in another location such as a National Park to holiday in Sites of Special Scientific Interests Areas within the world that are preserved from developments (such as tourists in Antarctica) for scientific study to take place Stewardship a philosophy that holds that humans have a unique responsibility to mange, care for, and improve nature on a LARGE SCALE Target market a specific group of consumers that have similar wants and needs Tourism Travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. Tourism growth The increase in the numbers of people travelling and the amount of money made from people travelling 31

32 World Heritage site A place of great natural or cultural value that has been placed on UNESCO's World Heritage List, such as the Galapagos Islands 32